


Crazy New Life

by DaisyParty



Series: New Crazy Life [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olypians
Genre: Adventure, F/M, Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-05-18 18:07:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14857650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaisyParty/pseuds/DaisyParty
Summary: Eirene and Adrian, two cousins who lived together since they were born. Life was normal, aside from the fact they were always moving around the country. Valerie and Selena, the two sisters who raised their kids the best they could under their special circumstances, found ways to keep the kids from learning their secret side of themselves. Till one day everything went wrong.





	1. Family Secret

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first story on this site, so bare with me please. Any comments are welcome! Also, at the beginning of each of my chapters, I will be posting up lyrics from some of my favorite songs. Hope you enjoy!

#  ~Family Secret~ 

And all those conversations 

Are the secrets that I keep 

Though it makes no sense to me 

"Shush Adrian! I can't hear them!" Eirene whispered, shoving Adrian away from her. Eirene had woken up to the sound of her mom and Aunt Valerie talking in hushed voices. She got out of her hotel bed, careful not to wake Adrian who was sleeping on the bed next to hers. But of course, Adrian heard her. Eirene could swear that he knew exactly when, where, and what she was doing all the time. She stuck her head out from the side of the bedroom wall- just enough to catch a small glimpse of her mom and Aunt Valerie-and Adrian kept trying to shove in to look.

"Who are they talking to?" Adrian asked curiously.

"I think there's guys here..." Eirene frowned.

All she was able to see with all the shoving were two tall men figures.

"Eirene," Adrian complained, trying to push her so he could look. "Let me see! I'm the older one.. I'll understand more than you."

Adrian was nine years old and Eirene was only seven, which in every argument, meant that Adrian was right.

Eirene rolled her eyes. Adrian could be so annoying sometimes. Eirene bent down on her hands and knees so Adrian could stay standing behind her. He was right about being older, but he was wrong about being smarter. Since Eirene was only seven, that made her shorter than a nine year old boy. It only made sense if she were the one to be on the floor.

Now that both her and Adrian were able to watch their moms without any argument, they could see there were two men standing in front of the creamy white sofa, while their moms were sitting down. The only lighting in the room was a small lamp that sat on the coffee table between both of their moms, so it was a little hard to see the men's' faces. However, it was bright enough to see what they had on and...

They were strange outfits to be wearing in Montana, in the dead of winter. One man was wearing a hawaiian shirt with blue flowers printed all over it, blue beach shorts, and sandals. The other man, well it wasn't as weird of an outfit than the other. This man wore a plain black shirt, black pants, and black dress shoes. Eirene thought that the man might be goth or something. Who could wear that much black? Adrian wore dark clothes, but never that much dark color clothes all at once.

The other man, Eirene thought was crazy. It was freezing cold, and even in her fuzzy pink pajamas and a big puffy robe on top of it, she still felt cold. And that's all he had on?

"It's just not safe," the man in the beach clothes insisted. "They need to go there. It's the best shot they have."

"Either you take them or they die." The man in black seemed really irritated by the tone in his voice.

Eirene and Adrian leaned inward to try and hear clearer.

Her mother shook her head. "We can't just leave them-"

"-At a camp that we can't even go in. How will we know they're safe?" Aunt Valerie cut in.

"Camp?" Eirene whispered confused. "I don't like-" Eirene started to complain, but Adrian kicked her to keep her quiet. Eirene looked up at Adrian and gave him a dirty look. She'd get him back for that later.

Her cousin didn't even bother to look at her. He knew that she was giving him a mean look.

"You know it's the only option you two have," the beach man said in a soft voice. He placed his hand gently on her mom's shoulder.

Her mother looked up at him for a moment then sighed, looking down to the lamp. Eirene squinted her eyes and saw that her mom's eyes were full of tears. They looked like that one time when Eirene had wondered off in the store.

Eirene had gone to the pool aisle that was on the other end of the store. When Eirene saw her mom run up to her, her eyes were just like they are now and she started to scold her. Eirene wondered why she had gotten so upset about her wondering off. It's not like she was outside walking around. Eirene was curious what her mom was so scared of now.

"No," her aunt decided and stood up. "We've managed to protect them all these years. I'm sure we could keep them safe for the next ten years."

"You call this a life? Moving from place to place, hotel from hotel, always looking over your shoulder, flinching at the smallest sound?" the man in black argued. He gestured over to Eirene and Adrian's room.

We're dead, Eirene thought.

Her mom and Aunt Valerie hated when they eavesdropped. Eirene was going to run back to her bed, but the man continued, not noticing them. "Trust us. The camp will be safer. And they haven't started yet, but once they do..."

"It'll be almost impossible to keep them hidden," the other man finished. Eirene's mom moved his hand off of her and stood up next to her sister, folding her arms.

"Well when the time comes we'll be sure to be extra careful." Her mother concluded.

"They are part of us. That makes them a target. The Great Prophecy..." the beach man trailed off. He looked over to the man in black, like he was unsure whether to continue or stay silent. The man in black waved his hand dismissively. The beach man cleared his throat, looking back to the women. "It's not meant for them, but for my son Perseus. However, that will not stop anyone from trying to hurt these two. They won't take their chances. And once their-"

The beach man stopped talking when the man in black place his hand on his shoulder. At first, the man looked at him confused. Then, the man in black nodded towards Eirene and Adrian. Adrian looked down at Eirene, who was already looking up at him. They both knew what that meant. They looked back to the others and saw that the two men were looking straight at them. Eirene started to crawl back slowly and quietly, as Adrian walked backwards into their room.

"What is it?" Eirene's heard her aunt ask. "The children are asleep,"

"I'm sure they are..." Eirene heard the man in black say as she ran to her bed.

Eirene lifted her big, soft, cotton, bright blue blanket up and slipped under it. She had a queen sized bed this time. Usually, in other hotels that they went to, she'd have to either share the bed with Adrian or have a small bed. Again, Eirene was small so it didn't matter much. Eirene would sometimes make fun of Adrian because if the bed was too small, his feet would be sticking out, so he'd just end up sleeping on the floor. A perk to being a little kid was no floor sleeping. Now having her own queen bed and Adrian with a king sized bed, Eirene felt like a princess.

Once Eirene was laying down, she glanced over to Adrian side. The room was pretty dark, but she could see him covering himself with his hunter green blanket through the moonlight that was shining in through the window near his bed. Since he was in bed already, Eirene closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Adrian had told Eirene that since he was the oldest, and a boy, he should be near the window. Just in case someone tried to come in; he'd kick their butts.

Being the only male in the family, Adrian knew that he had to protect his mom, her mom, and her. He'd say it was his job to keep his family safe. Especially since his dad, nor Eirene's dad, cared about them. It was fine with him. He didn't need them anyways. They were doing great without them. Eirene didn't put much thought on her father, but she was curious at times.

Eirene turned her back to Adrian, facing the the door opening her eyes a little. She was pretty sure no one would come in. Few seconds later, Eirene saw the man in black walk into the room. Even with the moonlight slightly illuminating the room, the man looked like a shadow. Eirene watched him as he walked over to Adrian's bed.

The man in black put his hand on her cousin's head and then looked over to her. Eirene thought that he thought Adrian was asleep.

Eirene groaned and stretched to turn on her other side so she was facing away from the dark man. It was kinda creepy- a complete stranger staring at you in your sleep.

Eirene could hear footsteps getting closer to her bed, and she had to fight the urge to open her eyes. Who was this man? Who was that other man that looked like he was ready to go to a beach party?

Eirene heard the footsteps getting closer and closer till they came to a stop, right next to her. For a moment, nothing happened. She almost thought that maybe the man had walked out already, but Eirene couldn't shake off the feeling that she was being stared at. Eirene felt a hand on her forehead, and suddenly everything went black.

# ~The Next Morning~

"Come on sweetheart," Adrian heard his aunt calling to him.

****

Adrian opened his eyes slowly, the bright sunlight shined right on him making him close his eyes tight and turn away.

****

"It's already eight in the morning..." His aunt said cautiously, "Couldn't sleep last night?"

****

"No." Adrian replied to quickly.

****

Adrian watched as his Aunt Selena made up Eirene bed. Something about the look on her face gave him the idea that she didn't believe him. "W-where's Eirene?"

****

"Your mom and Eirene 23!5 out to get breakfast."

****

Adrian sat up feeling really groggy. He always woke up earlier than Eirene, but today she was up before him- which never happens.

****

He couldn't remember having fallen asleep the night before. He had been in bed earlier than his mom and aunt, but then Eirene woke him up with the sound of her jumping off her bed.

****

Did he dream the entire thing? The conversation, the two strange men, the man in black being in his room...

****

Adrian looked at his Aunt Selena, and she seemed normal. She had her usual sea blue coat on, her wavy golden brown hair in front of her shoulders, and her sneakers.

No matter where they went, for some reason, his aunt and mom always had sneakers on; as if they were prepared to run. With the way they always looked around cautiously, it only made him more suspious.

Adrian could sense something was up. However, when he would ask what was wrong, they both would say "nothing". Adrian knew better. He wasn't a five year old anymore.

A strange occurrence he noticed was that they actually did run, at the most random of moments. They'd be walking through town or the park, and then suddenly, they'd grab onto his and Eirene's hand and run. Though, Adrian never saw anyone chasing them. After asking for the hundredth time, Adrian just gave up on asking. But it never stopped him from making up his own theories.

"Come on sleepy head," his aunt walked over to him and messed with his hair. Adrian usually had his hair spiked up, and he hated it when someone played with it.

****

"Aunt Selena..." Adrian complained, moving her hand away from his hair.

****

Aunt Selena smiled at him. "Come on, you baby, go get ready."

****

Adrian made a pouty face. "I'm not a baby," he mumbled as he slid out of bed.

****

He headed for the bathroom, but looked back to his aunt. "Aunt Selena?"

****

"Yes, Adrian?" She said, staying focus on fixing the bed.

****

Adrian hesitated. What could he say? Hey, Aunt Selena. Who were those two guys you were talking to last night? Or Hey, Aunt Selena. Why was the guy wearing a beach outfit in the freezing cold?

****

"Good morning."

****

He decided he'd talk with Eirene before he asked anything. He didn't want to sound crazy if it really was all a dream.

********

# ~Meanwhile~

Eirene held a plate full of pancakes while Valerie held a tray with their orange juices and hash browns, and of course, Adrian's bacon. Eirene always complained when her son would taunt her by forcing a strip of bacon in her face; it's nasty and greasy, she woukd say.

********

Unlike Adrian, Eirene didn't eat meat. The closest thing to meat that she ate was fish, and not just any fish. It has to be raw and in sushi form. Adrian always complained that she was so picky, but Eirene didn't seem to be bothered with that. Honestly, it was difficult to find a place with that sort of raw fish that was safe to eat.

********

When Eirene walked into the living where Valerie and her sister were talking, she looked tired and confused. When Selena asked what was wrong, Eirene just answered with a small voice answering "Nothing... tired." Eirene was never tired in the mornings; she was always energetic -!: ready for the day.

********

"Aunt Valerie?" Eirene started to ask, but then wrinkled her nose at what she saw. "Eww..."

********

"Oh, great." Valerie scrunched her nose, seeing a strand of her hair in a glass of orange juice. "I just took a shower today... Now," Valerie pulled her hair out of the juice, "my hair's going to be sticky." She would have to wash it off when she got back to their room.

********

"Yeah..." Eirene said with that curious look she usually got when she started to wonder about their similar looks.

********

They both had dark brown hair, and in certain lighting, it could be mistaken for black. The difference was that Eirene's hair was wavy like her mom's, but Eirene did have faint golden brown highlights that were only visible in natural lighting (like sun or moonlight).

********

Valerie had straight hair with no highlights. Her son Adrian, on the other hand, had a lighter color of brown like Selena's.

********

Eirene didn't know where her sea green eyes came from, but Valerie and her sister would tell her that their grandfather had the same color as her: it was a lie of course.

********

Adrian never questioned where his hazel brown eyes color came from since Valerie had brown eyes.

********

"Anyways... Aunt Valerie, could I ask you something?" Eirene continued.

********

"Yes, what is it?" Valerie asked curiously.

********

Of course Valerie noticed that something was up with Eirene and Adrian. It really wasn't like Adrian to stay in bed at that time of day. Usually her, Eirene, and Adrian would go downstairs to the breakfast lounge and bring some food to their room while Selena cleaned up the room. The two of them would switch this routine every new place they went to, which was often. This time it was Valerie's turn. Valerie was hoping that Eirene was going to tell her what was wrong.

********

"Who were those two guys that were in our room last night?" One thing about Eirene was that she didn't hold anything in. She always spoke her mind which Valerie could admire.

********

Valerie wasn't expecting the question from her niece though. She looked down to Eirene, giving her a confused look. "What guys Eirene? There wasn't anyone in our room last night. Your mommy and me were watching TV in the living room, but we were alone,"

********

"No, Adrian and I saw two guys talking with you and Mommy. You guys were talking about a camp where 'they' will be safe. Are Adrian and me going to camp? And why are we not safe here?" Eirene questioned.

********

Valerie shook her head as she opened the door to their room. "I honestly don't know what you're talking about Eirene. Maybe you were having a dream," she suggested.

********

So he was right. The kids were awake while they were talking. Now Valerie and Selena had to be more careful. It was easy to convince the kids that nothing was wrong, but they were getting older, and pretty soon they wouldn't fall for the lies. Valerie sometimes thought about why they were hiding who they were from the kids. It made no sense to her to have to lie about it. She thought that the kids should know about it. All of it. But then Valerie would come to her senses; it was safer if they didn't know.

********

Walking into the living room, Valerie saw Adrian sitting down on the sofa putting on his shoes. She wondered how long he'd been awake. He was already dressed in a black hoodie sweater, dark blue jeans and his hair spiked up as usual.

********

"I guess so..." Eirene muttered.

********

"Morning sweetheart. Have a good sleep?" Valerie said as she put the tray down on the coffee table in front of Adrian.

********

"I guess." Adrian didn't look as tired as Eirene had, but there was something different about him.

********

Adrian looked at Eirene, and there was a sudden spark Valerie noticed in his eyes. Him and Eirene came to a conclusion it seemed. Lying to them was going to be a challage this time.

********

The only thing Valerie could get from the secret conversation was a simple shake of Eirene's head and a disappointed look on both their faces.

********

"What's up with the dress Eirene?" Adrian questioned as if they hadn't just talked to each other through their minds.

********

"What? Are you jealous?" Eirene countered.

********

Valerie could understand the confusion about Eirene's outfit today. It was about twenty degrees outsude today and she was in a dress. She felt like wearing a dress today according to Selena.

********

She had some really thick, white, warm leggings and her favorite creamy brown snow boots with beige fluff around the top. Her sister bought her the dress the day before. It had white, long sleeves and tiny, sparkly snowflakes that dotted the entire white dress.

********

"As if." Adrian rolled his eyes. "I love your bow, though," Adrian told her sarcastically.

********

It was a snow blue, medium size snowflake with sparkles covering the entire flake. It sparkled brightly in the sunlight that shined through the window.

********

"What's up with the sparkles? Trying to get attention? Or do you think you're going to get lost today?"

********

Eirene always wore something sparkly. Whether it was her hair accessories, shirts, dresses, skirts, shorts, shoes, and even in her hair. Something she did not inherite from her sister Selena.

********

"Adrian, your cousin likes-"

********

"Loves," Eirene corrected her.

********

"-Loves sparkles. No need to make fun of her. You don't see her making fun of your dark color clothes now do you?" Valerie teased. If she let them, Adrian and Eirene would argue all day. "Now come on, you two, eat your breakfast. We're going to have a long day today."

********


	2. Long Day

# ~Long Day 

One way or another, 

I'm gonna find ya 

I'm gonna getcha, getcha, getcha, getch 

One way or another, 

I'm gonna win ya 

I'm gonna getcha, getcha, getcha, getcha 

"This can't be happening..." Selena whispered, breathing heavily and trying to stay calm, which was very difficult. How could this have happened? They were all (somewhat) enjoying their lunches. 

Her sister, Valerie, was speechless. Selena watched as her sister ran her hand through her hair, frustrated, and looked around desperately. When Valerie told her, "We're going to have a long day today" that morning, she didn't actually think it was going to be a very long (and terrifying) day. 

It all started when they went to Pictograph Cave State Park. 

# Six Hours Earlier 

Selena was putting all of their dirty breakfast dishes in a pile to take back downstairs, while Valerie, sat on the sofa, looking up the schedule to Pictograph Cave State Park on the kids' black laptop. 

After they all finished eating breakfast, Eirene and Adrian had asked if they could go to one of Montana's attractions. The two moms were hesitant about going, though. They should've started getting ready to get out of that part of the state, but their kids really wanted to go. Maybe if they got the kids' mind off of what had happened the night before, then it wasn't such a bad idea. They hoped, anyways. 

"You know, the kids were up last night," Valerie said looking up from the computer. 

Selena almost dropped an empty glass cup. She looked over at her sister uneasily. "W-why do you say that?" There was no way the kids heard the conversation. 

"Eirene." Valerie closed the computer. "She asked me: 'Who were those two guys that were in our room last night?'" 

"What did you tell her?" 

"The usual." Every time the kids heard or saw something out-of-the-ordinary, Valerie and Selena would brush it off, saying it was all a dream. Being little kids, Adrian and Eirene eventually believed or ignored it after a while. 

Selena stared at the kids' door. How long were the kids up? How much had they heard? How much did they see? Usually the kids would've gotten in huge trouble for eavesdropping, but if they punished them for it then they would know it wasn't a dream. 

Valerie glanced over to the kids' room- the door closed. "They heard about the camp. They saw both of them," Valerie whispered, looking back to Slena. 

"We're not going to be able to hide this from them for too long. They're getting older, they're almost-" 

"Don't." Selena cut her sister off. "Don't say it." 

Selena didn't want to hear it again. She knew that the time was going to come soon, but Selena didn't want to think about it. She couldn't imagine having to give up her daughter (and Adrian, too, of course). If she did let them go, then she wouldn't get to see them for who knows how long. That's what scared Selena the most. 

Valerie frowned. "Sea," she said, calling Selena the nickname she used when she got nervous, scared, or whenever she was trying to convince her of something. "We both know it's going to happen, and you know perfectly well that we won't be able to stop it." 

Selena put down the pile of plates hard, "I know Valerie, but I don't need you reminding me. I had enough of this talk last night." It was something she didn't want to get into again. "So... What's the news about the park?" 

"Nice, changing the subject." Valerie smirked and stood up. "Well, luckily for the kids, the park isn't too far away, and they open at ten so we've got..." Valerie looked at the small clock on top of the front door frame. It was already nine thirty. "Thirty minutes to get ready. I'm going to get some stuff and then I'll be ready." 

"Okay. Let me take this down then I'll get ready," Selena told her as she picked up the tray with the dishes and walked to the door. 

Before Selena walked out, she heard Valerie say, "This isn't going to go away. We have to talk about it wheither you like it or not. The time is almost here, and we can't stop it." Ignoring that, Selena walked out. She didn't want to ruin the day with talk about the kids' situation. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

"It's not going to work, Reen." 

Eirene was in the bathroom, washing her hands and around her mouth to get all the maple syrup off. Adrian could hear her sigh in frustration from where he laid in bed. 

"Do you have a better idea?" 

Adrian and Eirene were thinking of ways to get their moms to tell them what was up the night before. They both knew that whatever it was, it involved them. Just because Adrian and Eirene didn't go to school, didn't mean they were clueless. 

So was it so hard for them to get a straight answer for once? Adrian didn't mind having to jump from place to place. It was kinda fun getting to see new places and see some fun attractions, but deep down, he wanted a home. He wanted to have a home that Eirene and him could call their own. Go to a regular school and have some friends. A normal life. 

Eirene had suggested to him that they just ask straight: what was wrong? What camp were they talking about? Why was it dangerous for them? But most importantly, who were those two guys? Adrian had no ideas, and he didn't even consider Eirene's ideas. She was too young to understand, how adults are. 

Adrian sat up and looked towards the bathroom. "Your idea is horrible. I told you a million times. Sometimes, being so straight forward isn't good. If we ask them straight, they'll get mad at us for easedropping. I don't know about you, but I don't want to get grounded." Adrian's punishment was having to go to the stores with his mom, his Aunt Selena, and Eirene. When they went shopping, they'd spend hours, and they mostly just window shopped, so Adrian tried to stay out of trouble. One thing he will never understand is how girls love to shop. 

Eirene narrowed her sea-green eyes at him through the mirror. Adrian knew she was trying hard to keep her cool, but she was getting that stormy look her eyes. 

"Well maybe if we tried to explain-" 

Adrian cut her off with a sarcastic laugh. "Oh sure. 'Mommy, who were those two scary guys in the room? I was only eavesdropping 'cause I was super curious, and you know me; I'm always curious! I couldn't help it. And I heard that we are going to a camp. I hate camps!'" Adrian said in a girly, high-pitched tone, trying to mimic Eirene's voice. 

"You know what Adrian." Eirene stormed out of the bathroom, her white, blue snowflaked dress slightly floating up behind her as she stomped over to him. "Not everything I say is bad, and not everything you say is smart or right." Eirene folded her arms defensively. "Just 'cause you're older doesn't make you better than me." 

"That's exactly what makes me better," Adrian argued. He stayed sitting down and just looked at her. His mom had always told him that he lost his temper easily. It looked like Eirene lost it quicker. 

Eirene's face turned red from anger. "You know what your problem is? You're too..." Adrian saw her face scrunch up as she thought of the word she was going to say. 

"What? Thinking of a name to call me?" Adrian mocked. 

"Prideful!" She finally remembered. "You always think you're everything. I'm sick of it!" 

"Everything?" Adrian raised his voice a little. "Last thing I am is everything. You're the one that my mom and yours like more than me. You're always trying to get their attention." That always really irritated Adrian. Eirene, being a little, sweet, seven year old made it easier to get what she wanted. 

"That's not true!" Eirene stomped her right foot. "And that's not the main problem here. It's you being so annoying!" 

Adrian stood up off the bed, "I'm annoying? Look who's talking," Adrian said, pointing at her. He wasn't the only annoying one in the room. "You're the most annoying cousin anyone could ever have. I bet a fish would be a better cousin than you!" 

"I wish you weren't my cousin!" Eirene exclaimed and turned away from Adrian, walking to the door to get out. Before Eirene could open the door, there was a soft knock, and it opened slowly. Adrian saw his mom stick her head in. 

"Hey you guys-" she started but stopped when she saw Eirene in front of her and saw that she looked upset. Adrian watched as she looked over at him, and he knew he looked similar. Valerie opened the door more and took a step in. "What's wrong now?" she asked, folding her arms. 

"Nothing," Eirene mumbled and pushed past his mom. 

Adrian watched as surprise lit his mom's face when she saw Eirene like that. She looked to Adrian with a confused look, waiting for him to give her an explanation. 

Adrian felt too frustrated to say anything, so he just sat back down hard, sighing. 

Valerie sighed as well. "So, are you ready? The park opens soon. I've got snacks, waters... And sweaters." Montana was a very cold place during the winter, so sweaters would be the most important and priority thing to have. 

"Yeah, whatever." Andrian replied, all excitement about this trip slowly leaving him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

As they drove down the road, a sign passed by that read, "Billing Next Exit". Valerie looked to the back seats and saw Adrian and Eirene facing away from each other. They hadn't talked the entire twenty-five minute ride. Valerie and Selena exchanged concerned looks. 

This wasn't like them. They always got over their arguments quick. It was stranger because they were excited to go on the trip the morning before. 

"So, are you guys excited to see this place? It sounds fun and really old," Selena said, attempting to lighten up the mood. 

No response. 

Once they entered the park, Valerie drove the car up to a parking lot, put it in park, and turned off the engine. Selena and Valerie both looked back at the kids again to try and talk to them wanting to know what was up with them, but when they turned around, the kids were already out of the car. 

"What's up with them…?" Valerie wondered. "Did Eirene tell you anything?" 

Selena sighed sadly, "No, she didn't." 

"Come on, let's try to make this a fun day for them," Valerie told her as she opened the car door and got out. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Eirene stood close to her mom the entire time they walked through the empty room of the museum. 

There were so many paintings in there. They looked so old and so fragile, others looked weird, and Eirene didn't understand any of them. Some had random shapes, sticks, and, many other strange things. One looked like a potato man- an oval head, hands and feet sticking out of its potato body. Eirene stepped a little closer to the rock it was drawn on, to get a better look at it. 

"I'm sorry..." Eirene said in union with a boy. Looking up, Eirene's eyes met her cousin's. 

Eirene hadn't been paying much attention to where her cousin wondered, and last she saw, he was walking with her Aunt Valerie on the other end of the room. 

Eirene could see how Adrian was still mad, and Eirene figured Adrian saw that same expression on her. However, they both had a hurt look in their eyes that they didn't want to admit to each other. Neither of them didn't say another word to each other. Instead, Eirene walked back to her mom, who was looking at a painting at the other side. 

When Eirene got to her mother's side, she glanced back to watch Adrian- who walked back to his mom. 

"What happen between you two, sweetheart? I know something's wrong. You two aren't normally like this." Eirene could hear her aunt say to Adrian. 

"Nothing happened," Adrian answered dryly. "Can we go outside?" 

"Sure." Aunt Valerie looked over at Eirene's direction and smiled sadly at her. 

"What's wrong Eirene?" Her mom asked from behind her. 

Eirene looked away from Adrian and her aunt quickly and just shrugged. 

"Why are you and Adrian mad at each other?" 

Eirene shook her head, her black hair bouncing around her a bit, and looked at the description of whatever her mom was looking at. 

# "Pictograph Cave (the only one containing rock art), archaeologists discovered 106 pictographs, painted between 2,145 and 200 years ago. The walls were covered with red, white, and occasionally yellow figurines over drawings originally painted with black. They also found stone and bone tools, moccasins, arrow shafts, basketry, grinding stones, and fire-starting tools. Excavations turned up jewelry too, such as pendants, bracelets, and beads crafted of seashells acquired from Pacific Coast Indians." 

Eirene didn't really understand most of the words, but the objects seemed interesting. She looked up at the display of the variety of small things, admiring them. Eirene found the jewelry the most interesting; seeing a nice, bright, red stone and a really shiny pearl was what caught her attention. The pendants, which contained small circular rocks with little pictures in the middle, she also liked. One had a picture that looked like a turtle. Another one had a stick figure drawing on it, and there were lots of other drawings that were hard to describe. The bracelets were beautiful, and they were made from different colored rock beads. There were also many seashells that were shown in many different shapes and colors. The shells reminded Eirene of the beach; her favorite place in the world, and the only place she really felt at home. 

Eirene snuck a look at her mother and watched as her mom glanced over to her aunt and make a signal, pointing outside. "Come on, let's go outside." 

Before the seven-year old could argue, a strange man came up to them and spoke first. "Going outside wouldn't be very wise today." His voice sounded warning and raspy, like he had a really bad sore throat. 

"Excuse me?" Her mom asked. 

"It's very cold out there. Things could get... Dangerous." 

"Dangerous?" Aunt Valerie broke in. "It's just a walk through the park. How is that dangerous?" 

Eirene kept her attention at the man just to avoid looking at Adrian. 

Something about the man seemed weird. He had a dark red hat that went low on his head, almost covering his dark colored eyes. The man had a long beard, and he wore a black jacket, which was weird since the staff wore blue with their names printed on the corner of the jacket. 

"It's suppose to drop down to twenty-four degrees, and it'll start to snow soon," the stranger told them. 

"Well, lucky we came prepared. I've got sweaters in the car. We'll be sure to get them before we start," her aunt assured him. 

"Well, there's no tour guide that is available at the moment," the man insisted. 

"Well, we'll take a map and be sure not to go too far." 

The man wasn't so happy with that. He looked down at her then over to Adrian and nodded once. "Well, I wish you the best of luck. Be on the lookout. You never know when you'll find something very valuable, and, just..." He looked up to the two women, "watch yourselves out there." 

With that, he walked away, disappearing into the other room. 

The four of them all looked at each other, confused. "Well, that was weird," Selena noted. 

"Right?" Valerie agreed. "Well, let's go before he comes back." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The scenery wasn't so bad, even though it was winter. The trees were naked, the flowers weren't in bloom, the grass was half dry, and there weren't any animals running around. There were no birds, squirrels, or bunnies, but it still looked okay. The way snow was sprinkled around the area, it almost looked like sparkles. 

After about five and a half hours of walking along the trails, hiking up a hill (that lead to a cliff overlooking the entire park), exploring each cave, they finally arrived at the end of their long tour. 

The entire time, Eirene and Adrian never spoke one word to each other. There were so many times where Eirene wanted to ask Adrian what he thought about the pictures, but she would stop herself. When she looked at him, she felt so hurt... and a little guilty. She didn't mean it when she said that she wished he wasn't her cousin. He was just being so annoying, and it just slipped. 

Now, sitting down at the picnic table, Eirene just stared at her peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich. She wasn't very hungry, even though it was already three and she hadn't eaten since early that morning. 

The strange man was right about it getting colder later in the day. There was a cold breeze starting up, and there were more clouds covering the sky as it became darker. Eirene didn't accept the sweater her mom offered her because she wanted to show Adrian that even in the dress she was wearing, she wasn't cold. Pretty soon, though, she was going to give in. No way was she going to risk getting sick just to prove that she wasn't weak. 

"Aren't you hungry, dear?" Adrian's mom asked her. 

Eirene looked up at her aunt and shrugged. "Not really," she admitted. 

"You have to eat something, Eirene," her mom told her. "You haven't eaten since breakfast." 

Eirene looked over at Adrian who sat next to his mom across the table. He was just looking out to the field. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts. Eirene looked back down at her sandwich and picked it up, reluctantly taking a bite. She wasn't enjoying the day at all. She tried to distract herself with all the weird paintings and the hike, and it'd worked for about five minutes, but then she'd feel down again. Eirene still always tried to put on a happy, casual, nothing-is-bothering-me face. No matter how hurt she felt, Eirene always tried to keep it hidden. 

"So, how are you two liking this place so far?" Her mom asked more to her cousin than her. 

"It's cool," Adrian finally said after about a minute. He sat up straight, looking at the others. He had eaten his peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich quickly. 

Eirene put down her now half eaten sandwich and nodded. "Yeah it's kinda fun. I liked the drawings." 

"Pictographs," Adrian muttered. 

"Whatever," Eirene whispered bitterly. 

“What about the little trinkets?” 

“I thought the color rocks were weird.” Adrian shrugged his shoulder. 

“They’re called minerals.” Eirene informed him with sass in her tone. He wasn’t the only one who knew the exact name of things. 

“Like I care...” Her cousin said between gritted teeth. 

“What about the caves?” Her mom said quickly. 

“My favorite one was the huge one. It had the most pictographs.” Eirene was careful to not slip and say drawings again. 

“That’s Pictograph Cave. It’s the main and largest one here.” Adrian always had something else to correct her with. 

"Okay that's enough you two," her aunt demanded. "You two are going to tell us wh-" 

"I'm cold," Adrian cut his mom off and lied. Adrian was everything, but he was never cold. 

"Adrian don't interrupt while your m-" 

"-I'm cold, too," Eirene cut in as well. Even though they were mad at each other, Eirene and Adrian still managed to agree with each other, which was another strange factor in their relationship. 

Eirene watched as her mom and her aunt exchanged looks. "Fine." Her aunt sighed. "Just wait here and we'll go get your sweaters." She stood up and looked at her mom. 

Her mother nodded and stood up next to Aunt Valerie. "We'll be back quick okay?" Selena assured them. "Stay right here. Don't..." 

Her mom’s voice trailed off at that point. Before whenever they were going to be left alone, Adrian and Eirene would alway cut in. 

"Go anywhere. And if-" Adrian would start to say. 

"-Something happens, stay together," Eirene always finished. 

Her mom and aunt always gave her cousin and her the say exact talk each time. It became a thing they always did just to annoy their moms. However, this time Adrian looked away starring at something in the horizon again and Eirene just looked back down to her sandwhich. 

# ~Meanwhile~ 

As Selena and Valerie walked back to the car, which was a quick five minute walk away. On the way, Valerie started to feel more and more uneasy the closer they got to their vehicle. There was an eerie feeling in the air, and she started to get this weird feeling that someone was following them. Valerie kept glancing behind expecting to see someone there. 

"I'm sure it's nothing," Selena spoke up, clearly feeling the same way as she did. 

"I don't know. Something feels... Off," Valerie said cautiously. "I swear I saw something." 

After leaving the kids at the picnic table, Valerie thought she saw a black shadow a few feet away from the area, moving quick behind a wide tree. She figured that it was probably a big bird, but now Valerie could feel someone, or something, watching them. 

"I feel it too, but I think it's just us being paranoid about leaving the kids alone," Selena suggested. 

"Maybe..." Valerie said, unsure. Maybe her sister was right, but still. Something wasn't right. 

When they got to the car, she handed Selena the keys to the car. 

"Thanks," Selena took them and opened the passenger door, lowering her head into the car. "Where did you put the sweaters anyways? I thought they were-" 

"Sea!" Valerie shouted. 

Selena jumped, hearing her yell. 

"Oh, hello..." Selena greeted, taking one step forward, and that's when she got a better look at the man. 

Valerie saw the man that went up to her sister and neice inside the building and she couldn't believe she never saw it. 

The man no longer had his hat on so his face was clear to see. His face had a sickly green color to it, and his eyes were gone. Where his eyes were suppose to be, there were hollow holes. There were things crawling through his beard, and his jacket was torn apart. He almost looked like he was... Decomposing. 

"You've got to be kidding me," Selena complained. She looked over to Valerie who was grabbing a knife from inside the car. 

"I've had enough of these Greek myths for the week. Now leave us alone or we'll kill you," Valerie warned him, raising the knife. Valerie never liked these dead guys. It was a wonder how she got with the Lord of the Dead. 

"I'm not here to fight," the man said, his voice still sounding raspy, but it wasn't warning anymore. 

"Then what are you doing here?" Selena questioned, pulling out her own knife from inside her right snow boot. 

"Lord Hades sent me. He asked me to-" 

"-To threaten us to travel to New York and drop off the kids. Or you'll... What? Raise an undead army and force us?" Valerie guessed. "'Cause that's not going to happen, so you might as well save us all time and-" 

It was the man's turn to cut them off. "-To warn you." 

"Warn us?" Selena and Valerie said at the same time. Suddenly, Valerie felt a knot in her stomachs. She hoped it wasn't what she thought it was. 

"I tried to warn you, I tried to keep you out of harm's way. Lord Hades didn't want to see the children go this way. But you were too stubborn to listen. Now, it may cost you everything," the man explained. 

Valerie slammed the car door close. "You could've told us straight. 'Hey, the kids aren't safe here! You better leave!'" 

"Lord Hades wanted to respect your wishes. Don't let the kids know about the secret half of their lives. Those were my orders," he countered. 

"You could've told one of us when we weren't around the kids!" Selena argued. 

"I'm doing everything I was told to do. Warn you not to go out. That's it. If you two didn't want to listen to me then that's your problem." 

"You have to at least tell us what's wrong," Valerie said, walking towards the man, Selena right behind her. The man was as creepy as a zombie from a horror movie, but right now Valerie was angry and worried. Not even a monster could scare her. 

"What are we facing this time?" 

"I cannot interfere too much. Lord Hades was barely able to get me to come out here and warn you. Telling you how to fix your mistake, what you must do, and who's done this, is something I'm not authorized to do. I'm sorry..." the man apologized, sincerely meaning it. "But I'm sure two women like you, one of the rarest to see through the mist, should have a little advantage." The man pointed to both women and moved his finger towards the direction of the picnic area. 

"That's all you have to say? 'Oh you could see through the mist so everything will be fine,'" Valerie growled. So far, seeing through the mist has gotten them nowhere and sometimes into more trouble. 

"Valerie drop it," Selena demanded. "It's pointless to argue with him. He won't help us. We have to check on the kids. Maybe we're not late." 

Valerie looked at her sister then took a step closer to the man so they were face to face."Why don't you be useless somewhere else. Or better yet, go to the Underworld where you belong." Valerie turned to walk away, but felt the man's bony hand on her shoulder. She turned quickly, shrugging his hand off of her. 

"I will only tell you to this," the man said in a low voice. "There's only one thing that will save them. If the child understands what he sees and learns how to let go of his anger... They might survive." 

"Wait, what do you mean if he understands what he sees?" Selena asked urgently. 

"Unfortunately, this is a fight you two can't win. The children are on their own now... One way or another, they will find the children." And with that, the man started to slowly fall apart. His skin slipped off his bones, his face melted away, his bones broke into pieces in a pile, and then everything turned to dust. 

The sun was starting to set. Not a single sound in the air. Everything looked as peaceful as it did just earlier. Sure enough, once Selena and Valerie got back to the picnic table, where the kids were suppose to be waiting for them to return with their sweaters. The only problem was: 

Adrian and Eirene were gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter’s song- ‘Little Things’ by One Direction.


End file.
